“[I]f you want to really build strength and muscle, you need to crush each rep as explosively as you can with perfect form. Lower the weight under control, but always lift each rep with maximal effort like you’re trying to blast it through the roof.” This is a direct quote from a past article I …
Squat depth is a funny thing. When people start lifting, they usually squat high. They don’t know how low they’re supposed to go, or they’re scared if they go too low, they won’t be able to stand back up. Then, once they read or hear that you “must” squat ass-to-grass, squat depth is everything. Like, …
Stack.com – Improve Your Squat Depth with 5 Easy Warm-Up Exercises Read More »
I love kettlebell swings. This is not breaking news. I’ve written about them before (here and here) and I wrote about them again. This time, I wrote a piece for MyFitnessPal called “Learn the Kettlebell Swing in 4 Easy Steps“. I break down three essential exercises that you need to learn before you start adding …
MyFitnessPal: Learn the Kettlebell Swing in 4 Easy Steps Read More »
This Sunday, I’ll have the honor of coaching/speaking at Greg Robin’s Optimizing the Big 3 seminar at Cressey Sports Performance. Greg is a tremendous coach, lifter and mentor. He’s made a huge impact on my coaching career and I can confidently say that had he not taken me under his wing, I wouldn’t be half …
3 Qualities That Separate Great Lifters from Good Lifters Read More »
I consider myself a bench press guy. I’m built for it. I’ve got T-Rex arms and have always been better at pressing than pulling. And while the bench press is one of my favorite exercises, I’d be lying if I said the simple push-up wasn’t a fantastic exercise for building upper body strength and muscle. …
Not all wearable accessories are created equal. Some are purely fashionable, others are strictly functional. Some are functional and fashionable, like a fanny pack. Wait, what? Well, lucky for you accessory dorks, powerlifting is all about the gear. Powerlifters wear more gadgets than a phony Batman, so you’ll never get criticized at a meet for being decked out …
The Novice Raw Lifter’s Guide to Supportive Gear Read More »
If you’re reading up on the bench press, you’re bound to come across a handful of consistent recommendations. If you want to press more weight, you have to do X, Y and Z. It almost sounds like there’s a one-size-fits-all solution for a handful of problems. Not true. Just like a baseball player’s swing or a …
The next installment of my Best of 2014 series is a collection of my top-viewed videos of the year. I’m certainly at no risk of going viral like Charlie the Unicorn but with my partnership with STACK Media, my videos have been able to reach more viewers than in years past. Check it out: FOAM …
If there was a lower body exercise Mount Rushmore (which would definitely be erected in Columbus, Ohio, NOT South Dakota), squats and deadlifts would be the Washington and Lincoln. And I’d argue that kettlebell swings, in all their hip-thrusting glory, would represent the progressive Teddy Roosevelt. Kettlebell swings can do it all. Strength, power, insane conditioning …
Since starting my internship at Cressey Sports Performance, my knowledge of shoulder anatomy and function has grown by leaps and bounds. Which is great, because we work with dozens of professional baseball players on a daily basis. But we also see tons of non-athletes who have shoulder issues from overuse, poor posture or less-than-great lifting technique. …
Stack.com – Are You Making These 3 Shoulder Press Mistakes? Read More »
